Stetson Absinthe any word, sightings, rumors?

[wcbrown]

Been anxiously awaiting to see if these are hitting the market yet, or if ANYBODY has any information on them. Thanks.

 

[tommyK]

Went to my local hat shops in NYC, Bencraft and JJ Hat Center. This is one of the hats I asked specifically about, even brought the catalog page. Neither are going to carry it or have any interest in ordering me one. Might want to try Delmonico's.

 

[Jedwbpm]

Went to my local hat shops in NYC, Bencraft and JJ Hat Center. This is one of the hats I asked specifically about, even brought the catalog page. Neither are going to carry it or have any interest in ordering me one. Might want to try Delmonico's.

We will order what ever a customer wants. If it is in Stetson's catalog well well get it.

Jeff

 

[jlee562]

According to Matt's Instagram post today, they're currently in production:
https://instagram.com/p/3t_yKPItvz/?taken-by=mattdeckard

 

[Rocker at Large]

We will order what ever a customer wants. If it is in Stetson's catalog well well get it.

Jeff

Jeff,

That Absinthe color -- sage -- looks quite versatile. It's hard to tell from the catalog if the brim is thin ribbon bound. At any rate, I'd be on this in a heartbeat if it could be had with a 2-3/8ths brim and a matching sage hatband ribbon (rather than brown ribbon). In fact, I may just want to buy one of these anyway.

I'm between sizes (XL in cheapos, and between 7-1/2 and 7-5/8 in better hats). I've heard that the Stetsonians are running large, but am not sure about the Absinthe.

How do I order? How much does one of these bad boys cost? And, finally, given the above info, what size ought I to order?

Thanks,

--- R.A.L.

 

[tommyK]

Rocker, many of the new Stetson's are running a bit large so if in between a 1/2 and 5/8 I'd go with the 7 1/2

 

[Rocker at Large]

Rocker, many of the new Stetson's are running a bit large so if in between a 1/2 and 5/8 I'd go with the 7 1/2

Thanks, Man.

 

[The Good]

Rocker, many of the new Stetson's are running a bit large so if in between a 1/2 and 5/8 I'd go with the 7 1/2

My Stetson Stratoliner milano straw hat (new kind) is size 7 3/8, but the fit resembles that of my size 60 (7 1/2) Akubra hats (after naturally shrinking down a bit). The straw hat's leather sweatband has not shrunken much, if it ever did at all, so I think it's safe to say order your measured size, but don't measure absolutely tightly.

 

[Rocker at Large]

My Stetson Stratoliner milano straw hat (new kind) is size 7 3/8, but the fit resembles that of my size 60 (7 1/2) Akubra hats (after naturally shrinking down a bit). The straw hat's leather sweatband has not shrunken much, if it ever did at all, so I think it's safe to say order your measured size, but don't measure absolutely tightly.

Thanks, The Good.

Signed,
The Ugly

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

I was lookng at Matt Deckard's photo of the Exposition and thinking that it looked a lot like the Absinthe. I wonder if they are the same.

Would like to see one in person as I am not buying anything based upon a photo in a catalog.

Fed.

 

[Rocker at Large]

Well,

I just got off the phone with Jeff of Delmonico Hatters. An Absinthe in 7-5/8 is now on order. I've seen so many different photos of Stetson's "sage" in various settings with differing hues, highlights, white balance, etc. Some look dark green, others brown, some greyish-light green. None of them look bad, whereas Winchester's "dark moss" seems to look great in some photos and just overtly cartoon leprechaun-green in others.

I suspect the brown ribbon may add to the versatility but, if in-person, it doesn't look good, it's not a huge matter to change out the ribbon. I'm confident about the felt color though.

 

[Rocker at Large]

It's now Monday, December 7th -- Pearl Harbor Day. I received the Absinthe from Del Monico Hatter on Friday, December 4th. Sorry it took so long for me to post here. The hat took longer than 9-or-so weeks from factory to Del Monico's. Del monico's was great, by the way -- special thanks, and best of luck to Jeff. My review follows:

Pros:
The color is darkish -- appearing as a brown (and not in a bad way) under most lighting conditions. This closely matches the color of the super thin brown ribbon-bound brim. The binding is thin like a Stratoliner, unlike say the wider brim binding of a Whippet. In some other lighting temperatures the felt's green content dominates. In all, it's a deep, rich, complex color. It's a versatile all-rounder for filling the "Earth tone" slot in the 'ol hat collection.

The brim is a classic standard 2-1/2" with what is, in my opinion, the optimal degree and depth-of-flange for the perfect "snap" and a sleek look.

The 7/8" hatband ribbon is of a color that is indescribable, and as such, is difficult to photograph, just like the felt itself. This ribbon is a goldish, amberish, tannish color that I'll just call a deep, rich "caramel". You might think, as I did, that a green hat with a brown bound brim and yet another (3rd color) color grosgrain hatband would look like a mess of puke. Quite the contrary, everything ties together in a very classy way. Hard to photograph. The entire color scheme of this hat, ribbons and all, come together to increase the versatility of the color palate within a guys wardrobe. I've seen a couple of photos from the internet of this hat, yet I was blown away by the real thing when it arrived. It's badAZZ!

Silk finish. The aforementioned photos that I had seen showed the nap of the felt a bit longer than the reality has shown. This is good, as I wasn't certain I would even like a silk finish and that, possibly, I might even dislike it. Well, I love it! It is not "long-haired" or velour, or angora or anything like that. Basically, the hat's felt looks just as "flat" as any other fur felt, except for a subtle-but-certain satin-like sheen playing off shadow and light. This sheen appears to the eye as -- wait for it ... silky. How does it feel? Like velvet. Yes, like running your fingers over velvet. You definitely feel which direction the nap runs more than see it. I love this texture. It is absolutely luxurious. I have a custom fedora, but this Absinthe model factory-run hat has shown me what a real men's dress felt hat is. This hat feels real, whatever that means. Some hats don't -- especially next to this one.

When I steamed and creased my custom, it tapered on me. It's not like I was steaming it for an extended period neither. However, I did spend quite an extended amount of time working with this Stetson. It refused to taper. It's as if the felt is done felting. This is good. You wouldn't build a violin out of "green" wood. In my opinion, one would not want to make a hat from a hat body that is not done moving and changing. Then again, how would a hatter block, size and shape if they can't manipulate and move the felt? I'm no hatter --- what do I know? I have not the slightest clue how they pull off this millinery miracle. Anyway, this stuff holds a crease great. It is firm, yet springy (gummy?).

The liner is not the "Royal De Luxe" liner tip displayed in the 2015 catalog. It is a gold satin liner which does not read "Royal De Luxe". It's not a bad looking liner. The sheepskin sweatband is black and does read "Royal De Luxe".

Cons:

1. The center piece of the bow is not covering the center of the bow. It is askew, revealing the innards of the faux bow (stitching, etc.) It cannot be slid back over atop the center neither, as it is stitched into place itself. However, I must say I didn't even notice this until I'd had the hat for about 2-1/2 days. Also: the catalog photo showed this little vertical piece of the bow as having a doubled-over fold. This hat that I received does not have that fancy folded-over look.

2. The second con is not really a con. It is something which is my own fault. I'm between sizes. I ordered up. Knowing what I now know, I'd have ordered down ---DEFINITELY -- perhaps that would still be none-too-snug. I placed some double-faced tape both fore and aft under the sweatband. Even with this, it might be helpful if the sweatband shrinks a bit as I hope it will.


In conclusion, I love this hat -- the silk finish combined with the color scheme seems untoppable to me. No pun intended. I hope to get some photos up sometime before May. My apologies to anyone considering an Absinthe, but wanting to see pictures. I'm so busy it's crazy. I don't have time to post this as it is, but I hope it might help some prospective Absinthe buyer. Thanks for reading.

---- Focker out.

 

[tommyK]

2. The second con is not really a con. It is something which is my own fault. I'm between sizes. I ordered up. Knowing what I now know, I'd have ordered down ---DEFINITELY -- perhaps that would still be none-too-snug.

You asked, I and others advised. You didn't listen

 

[Rocker at Large]

You asked, I and others advised. You didn't listen

You are 100% correct. I caved in at the Del Monico advice over the phone. If I'd have heeded the advice of Tommy K., my hat situation would be perfect except for a small bow issue. Nevertheless, though I didn't heed, please don't feel that that your input was not appreciated.

 

[Frunobulax]

Regarding sizing of the new Stetsons. I view myself as a fairly true 58 (7 1/4), perhaps a millimeter or two larger than 58. I have tried on a few production Stetsons over the past year - a LeChiffre from 2014 and a Premiere Whippet, along with purchasing two of the Milan hats (Strat and Andover). For pretty much all of those, a 7 1/8 seemed to provide a better fit. I agonized for months after ordering an open crown Stetsonian, thinking I'd screwed up by ordering a 7 1/4. I received the hat on Saturday, and the fit is darned near perfect. It fits well within the range of vintage 7 1/4 hats I have.

 

[foamy]

Regarding sizing of the new Stetsons. I view myself as a fairly true 58 (7 1/4), perhaps a millimeter or two larger than 58. I have tried on a few production Stetsons over the past year - a LeChiffre from 2014 and a Premiere Whippet, along with purchasing two of the Milan hats (Strat and Andover). For pretty much all of those, a 7 1/8 seemed to provide a better fit. I agonized for months after ordering an open crown Stetsonian, thinking I'd screwed up by ordering a 7 1/4. I received the hat on Saturday, and the fit is darned near perfect. It fits well within the range of vintage 7 1/4 hats I have.

Glad to have read that Fruno, I called JJ's when I ordered and asked the gal that I spoke with to try and see if they could send one of the "smaller" 1/4's as I've had a 7 1/4 Racine slide over my face and a 7 1/4 Grand Central fit just fine. Fingers crossed.

 

[Frunobulax]

Glad to have read that Fruno, I called JJ's when I ordered and asked the gal that I spoke with to try and see if they could send one of the "smaller" 1/4's as I've had a 7 1/4 Racine slide over my face and a 7 1/4 Grand Central fit just fine. Fingers crossed.

Prior to my Stetsonian shipping, I asked Mr. DelMonico to check it with one of those scissor-ring size thingees. He didn't help when he told me it was a "big" 7 1/4. So I spent Thanksgiving stressing over it, only to be happy as a clam when I got it.

Go figure...